6 Companies Increasing Dividends

by Marc Bastow | March 15, 2013 1:00 pm

6 Companies Increasing Dividends

[1]With the Dow soaring to new record highs, it’s also nice to see companies continuing to raise their dividends to reward shareholders. Although a bit of a slow week, a couple financial stocks and some REITs managed to increase their payouts.

In all, 6 companies made it onto our list of Companies Increasing Dividends[2] this week. (Note: All dividend yields are as of March 15.)

Single-tenant commercial real estate investment trust CapLease (NYSE:LSE[3]) raised its quarterly dividend 3% to 7.75 cents per share, payable on April 15 to stockholders of record on April 4.LSE Dividend Yield: 5.02%

Mutual fund and global investment company Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN[4]) raised its quarterly dividend 7% to 29 cents per share, payable on April 12 to stockholders of record holding shares of common stock on March 28.BEN Dividend Yield: 0.77%

Freestanding retail property REIT Realty Income (NYSE:O[5]) raised its monthly dividend 1.7% to 18.13 cents per share, payable on April 15 to shareholders of record on April 1. This is the 71st dividend increase since Realty Income went public in 1994.O Dividend Yield: 4.88%

Atlanta-based commercial bank holding company SunTrust (NYSE:STI[6]) raised its quarterly dividend 50% to 10 cents per share, to be paid on a date-to-be announced during the second quarter of 2013.STI Dividend Yield: 1.38%

Real estate underwriting and investment trust company W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC[7]) raised its quarterly dividend 24% to 82 cents per share, payable on April 15 to shareholders of record as on March 28. This marks Carey’s 48th consecutive dividend increase.WPC Dividend Yield: 4.93%

Financial titan Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC[8]) raised its quarterly dividend 20% to 30 cents per share. The dividend will be paid out during the second quarter of 2013; the exact date was not announced.WFC Dividend Yield: 3.17%

Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor at InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing he does not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. For more payout winners, see previous weeks’ list of Companies Increasing Dividends[2].